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ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 







V,. • 


PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 

> . ^Aa^4,V' i £,# L\X*rr , 

" Honor and shame from no condition rise; 

Act well your part—there all the honor lies.” 

Abraham Lincoln having been called from amongst us to 
occupy the exalted position which he filled so worthily, and 
with whose sledge-hammer of duty and principle, toil and 
honesty, the Rebellion received its heaviest blows until it col¬ 
lapsed, Illinois claims him as a martyr and a hero—one who 
suffered for his heroism, and who fell in the hour of victory. 

The sixteenth President of the United States was the son of 
Thomas and Nancy Lincoln, and was born in Hardin (now 
Larue) county, Kentucky, on the 12th of February, 1809. 
When he reached his seventh year, he was sent to a school 
kept by Caleb Hazel, who lived in the neighborhood of his 
father’s log cabin, and whose exercises consisted of the two 
fundamental branches — reading and writing. Owing to the 
family moving to another State, Abraham had to relinquish 
his practiced studies for a life of hard work on his father’s 
farm, a year covering the entire schooling he received. The 
journey from Kentucky to Spencer county, Indiana, he has 
been heard to declare, constituted one of his hardest trials of 
pioneer experience. 

Hardy toil, blended with sport in the woods with his rifle, 
simple but healthy fare, and repose in a loft, beneath the roof 
of the hut, formed the daily routine of outward physical being 
of our hero, and such an existence as imparted vigor and 
strength to his system. 

In the autumn of 1818, he had to mourn the loss of his 
mother, an excellent woman, who had religiously trained him 
in the ways of pleasantness, and moulded her son’s impres¬ 
sible nature in the paths of honesty and wisdom, which gave 
him the grand characteristic title in later years of “ Honest 





t<H>7 
3*9 3 


ii PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 


Old Abe”—a cognomen that princes might envy, and a like title 
that every virtuous youth should strive to acquire. He never 
afterwards mentioned her name but with the deepest reverence 
—a suggestive fact as to his close adherence to the sacred but 
often-neglected injunction that children should honor their 
parents. 

A year after this bereavement, his father married Mrs. Sally 
Johnston, a widow having three children by her first marriage, 
who proved a good and kind mother to her step-son. 

Aside from his outdoor labor, our subject took pride in his 
early studies, and his diligence soon won him the regards of his 
instructors. He was quick to learn, considering his condition, 
and was gifted with a retentive memory. Books w T ere eagerly 
sought after, and the getting of them his chief anxiety. His 
father aided him greatly, however, in obtaining those he asked 
for when desirable, and endeavored always to procure them for 
the use of his son. 

In this way (says Mr. Raymond) he became acquainted with Bunyans 
Pilgrim’s Progress, ^Esop’s Fables, a Life of Henry Clay, and Weems’Life of 
'Washington. The “ hatchet” story of Washington made a strong impression 
upon Abraham, which is illustrated in the following tale: 

Mr. Crawford had lent him a copy of Ramsey’s Life of Washington. During a severe 
storm, Abraham improved his leisure by reading this book. One night he laid it down 
carefully, as he thought, and the next morning he found it soaked through with water. 
The wind had changed, the rain had beaten in through a crack in the logs, and the book 
was ruined. How could he face the owner under such circumstances? He had no money 
to offer as a return, but he took the book, went directly to Mr. Crawford, showed him the 
irreparable Injury, and frankly and honestly offered to work for him until he should be 
satisfied. Mr, Crawford accepted the offer, and gave Abraham the book for his own, in 
return for three days’ steady labor in “ pulling fodder.” His manliness and straightfor¬ 
wardness won the esteem of the Crawfords, and, indeed, of all the neighborhood. 

After leaving school, and until he was eighteen years of age, 
he was constantly engaged in the avocations of a backwoods¬ 
man— cutting down trees and splitting rails — and in the 
evenings occupying his time reading such works as he could 
borrow in the neighborhood. A year later he was hired at ten 
dollars a month to go to New Orleans with a flatboat loaded 
with stores, which he accomplished to the satisfaction of his 
employer, by disposing of the goods to advantage. 

In March, 1830, his father determined to remove with his 
family to Illinois—still westward—being induced to this step 




J 

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cl 




PRESIDENT LINCOLN. iii 


from the glowing accounts which were circulated of the fertile 
soil of the Prairie State. Traveling with wagons drawn by 
oxen, Abraham got one in charge, and in two weeks reached 
Decatur, Macon county, where the family settled on a tract of 
ten acres, on the north side of the Sangamon River, and about 
ten miles west of their halting place. 

Here a log cabin was built, and the erection of a fence suffi¬ 
cient to enclose the lot was the next improvement—a work that 
young Lincoln assisted in performing. Thus, in all the various 
employments in which he was engaged, Abraham was active, 
earnest and laborious—dignifying labor with an effort he never 
was ashamed of, but glad to think that he was useful to himself 
and to his kind. The following year the aspirations of manhood 
took hold upon him, and he resolved to seek his fortune among 
strangers. His parents and friends, on witnessing his depart¬ 
ure, were sad, and loth that he should go; but this step, to him 
as to others the most momentous, had not been taken without 
due deliberation, and he went westward to Menard county, where 
he was employed on a farm near Petersburg; then at Sangamon 
lent a hand in building a flatboat, taking another trip to New 
Orleans; afterwards becoming a clerk of a store at New Salem. 

In 1832, the Black Hawk Indian War breaking out, he 
joined a volunteer company, and was chosen Captain. In war 
as in peace, he was prompt and efficient in the discharge of 
duty, his patriotism scorning danger and defying fatigue. This 
initiation of military life no doubt served him well when he 
became by virtue of his office Commander-in-Chief of the armies 
of the United States, and which has been proved by the orders 
issued and plans laid by him for the capture and destruction of 
“ Stonewall” Jackson’s army while it was threatening Wash¬ 
ington in 1862. 

On returning from the campaign, he was nominated and ran 
for the Legislature, but failed in securing a seat, although he 
received in his own precinct 277 out of 284 votes. This was 
the only occasion he was ever beaten before the people. He 
next opened store, with a stock of goods on credit, which, 
proving unprofitable, he sold out. At this time, he received 
the appointment as Postmaster of New Salem. 






PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 


iv 


Still eager for information, lie had gained a knowledge of 
grammar, and was attaining an insight into the profession of 
the law, when he became acquainted with John Calhoun, after¬ 
wards President of the Lecompton (Kansas) Constitutional 
Convention, who proposed to aid him in his studies. At the 
same time he practiced surveying, in which he was successfully 
engaged for over a year. 

In 1834, he was elected to the Legislature, by the highest 
vote ever cast for any candidate, and was re-elected in 1836, 
1838, and 1840. During these terms he first became intimate 
with Stephen A. Douglas, hut little dreamt of the antagonistic 
position they afterwards assumed towards each other before the 
country. Both were the architects of their own fortunes, and 
both achieved an eminence of political glory that has now 
become historical. 

In 1836, he obtained a license to practice law, and in April, 
183T, removed to Springfield, and went into partnership with 
John T. Stuart. He rose rapidly to distinction in his profes¬ 
sion, and was especially eminent as an advocate. An incident 
in his early practice is thus related: 

At a camp meeting in Menard county, a fight occurred, which resulted in 
the death of one of the participators. A son of Mr. Armstrong, of Peters¬ 
burg, who gave Lincoln employment when he went out into the world to 
work for himself, was charged and arrested for the crime. A true bill was 
found against him, and he was placed in jail to await examination. As soon 
as Mr. Lincoln became aware of the case, he wrote a kind letter to Mrs. Arm¬ 
strong, stating his anxiety that her son should have a fair trial, and offering, 
in return for her interest in him while under adverse prospects some years 
before, his services gratuitously. Investigation assured the attorney that his 
client was the victim of a conspiracy, and he determined to effect a postpone¬ 
ment until the excitement subsided. The day of trial, however, at last arrived, 
and the accuser positively testified that he saw the prisoner thrusting a knife 
into the heart of the murdered man. All the. circumstances he remembered 
perfectly; the deed was committed about half-past nine o’clock at night, and 
the moon was shining brightly. Mr. Lincoln carefully reviewed the testimony, 
and then conclusively proved that the moon did not rise until an hour or more 
after the murder was committed! Other discrepancies were shown, and, in 
half an hour after the jury retired, they returned with a verdict of “not guilty.” 

The young man and his mother had been awaiting the final result with 
agonizing suspense. No sooner had the word? dropped from the foreman’s 





PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 


V 


lips, than the mother swooned in the arms of her son. He raised her and 
pressed her to his heart with words of glad reassurance. “ Where is Mr. Lin¬ 
coln?” he exclaimed, and then ran across the room and grasped his deliverer 
by the hand, with a heart too full for utterance. 

Mr. Lincoln returned the warm pressure, and then cast his eyes towards the 
west, where the golden orb of day was still lingering. Half turning around, 
he said to the prisoner, tenderly, “ It is not yet sundown, and you are free.” 

Few could restrain their emotion, as they observed Abraham Lincoln obey¬ 
ing the divine injunction of comforting the widowed and fatherless. 

On the 4th of November, 1842, he was married to Miss Mary 
Todd, daughter of the lion. Robert S. Todd, a lady of accom¬ 
plished manners and refined social tastes. 

In 1844, he was Presidential Elector in favor of Henry Clay, 
and canvassed the States of Illinois and Indiana in his behalf, 
addressing large audiences with marked success. 

In 1846, he was elected a Representative in Congress from 
the Central District of Illinois. In Congress he voted for the 
reception of anti-slavery memorials and petitions, for motions of 
Mr. Giddings for committees to inquire into the constitutionality 
of slavery in the District of Columbia, and the expediency of 
abolishing the slave trade in the District, and other such propo¬ 
sitions. He voted for the Wilmot proviso every time it was 
presented; and he stated, in his contest with Judge Douglas, 
that he had voted for it, “ in one way and another, about forty 
times.” In January, 1849, he offered to the House a scheme 
for abolishing slavery in the District, by compensating the 
slaveholders from the treasury of the United States, provided 
a majority of the people of the District should vote to accept’ 
the proposal. He opposed the annexation of Texas, but voted 
for the loan bill to enable the Government to defray the ex¬ 
penses of the Mexican war. 

Mr. Lincoln was a member of the Whig National Convention 
of 1848, and urged the nomination of General Taylor. In 
1849 he was a candidate for the United States Senate, but the 
Legislature being Democratic, elected General Shields. 

After the expiration of his Congressional term, Mr. Lincoln 
applied himself to his profession with successful diligence, adding 
both to his fame and fortune, until the repeal of the Missouri 
Compromise called him again into the political arena. He 





PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 


vi 


entered with energy into the work which was to decide the 
choice of a Senator in place of General Shields, and it was 
mainly owing to his exertions that the success of Judge 
Trumbull, the Republican, and his election to the Senate, 
was attributed. At the Republican National Convention in 
1856, which nominated Gen. Fremont for the Presidency, the 
Illinois delegation unanimously urged Mr. Lincoln’s name for 
the Yice-Presidency. 

On the 2d of June, 1858, the Republican State Convention 
nominated Mr. Lincoln as their candidate for the United States 
Senate, his opponent being Judge Douglas—two well matched 
champions of opposing political views. Douglas’ superior skill as 
a debater, however, was more than met by Lincoln’s plainness 
and logic ; the strategy of the one being counteracted by the 
tactics of the other. The contest that followed was one of con¬ 
siderable fervor, which led many of the people to form opinions 
and choose party who had not thought so deeply upon matters of 
government before. The election day at length arrived, when the 
popular vote stood: for the Republican candidate, 126,084; for 
the Douglas Democrats, 121,940 ; for the Lecompton candidates, 
5,091. But the vote for Senator being cast by the Legislature, 
Mr. Douglas was chosen, his supporters having a majority of 
eight on joint ballot. During this campaign, Mr. Lincoln paid 
a glowing tribute to the Declaration of Independence, from 
which we copy the closing extract: 

You may do anything with me you choose, if you will but heed these sacred 
principles. You may not only defeat me for the Senate, but you may take 
and put me to death. While pretending no indifference to earthly honors, I 
do claim to be actuated in this contest by something higher than an anxiety 
for office. I charge you to drop every paltry and insignificant thought for any 
man’s success. It is nothing; I am nothing; Judge Douglas is nothing. 
But do not destroy that immortal emblem of humanity—the Declaration of 
American Independence. 

The promptings of his unselfish nature found a response, and 
he was pronounced to be a leader of men. People became anx¬ 
ious to hear and see the one wh^) uttered such lofty sentiments. 
Like seed dropped into good ground, his words took root, and 
sprung up in a fruitful harvest of supporters to the great prin- 




PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 


vii 


ciples of liberty and humanity—truths that overcame the de¬ 
structive policies of doubt and corruption. 

To gratify public curiosity, a writer thus gave a pen-portrait 
of Mr. Lincoln : 

He stands six feet and four inches high in his stockings. His frame is not 
muscular, but gaunt and wiry; his arms are long; but not unreasonably so for 
a person of his height; his lower limbs are not disproportioned to his body. 
In walking, his gait, though firm, is never brisk. He steps slowly and deliber¬ 
ately, almost always with his head inclined forward, and his hands clasped 
behind his back. In matters of dress he is by no means precise. Always 
clean, he is never fashionable; he is careless, but not slovenly. In manner he 
is remarkably cordial, and, at the same time, simple. His politeness is always 
sincere, but never elaborate and oppressive. A warm shake of the hand, and 
a warmer smile of recognition, are his methods of greeting his friends. At 
rest, his features though those of a man of mark, are not such as belong to a 
handsome man; but when his fine dark gray eyes are lighted up by any emo¬ 
tion, and his features begin their play, he would be chosen from among a crowd 
as one who had in him not only the kindly sentiments which women love, but 
the heavier metal of which full-grown men and presidents are made. His 
hair is black, and though thin is wiry. His head sits well on his shoulders, 
but beyond that it defies description. It nearer resembles that of Clay than 
that of Webster; but it is unlike either. It is very large, and, phrenologically, 
well proportioned, betokening power in all its developments. A slightly Ro¬ 
man nose, a wide-cut mouth, and a dark complexion, with the appearance of 
having been weather-beaten, complete the description. 

In his personal habits, Mr. Lincoln is as simple as a child. He loves a good 
dinner, and eats with the appetite which goes with a great brain; but his food 
is plain and nutritious. He never drinks intoxicating liquors of any sort, not 
even a glass of wine. He is not addicted to tobacco in any of its shapes. He 
never was accused of a licentious act in all his life. He never uses profane 
language. 

A friend says that once, when in a towering rage, in consequence of the 
efforts of certain parties to perpetrate a fraud on the State, he was heard to 
say: “They sha’n’t do it, d—n ’em!” but beyond an expression of that kind, 
his bitterest feelings never carry him. He never gambles; we doubt if he ever 
indulges in any games of chance. He is particularly cautious about incurring 
pecuniary obligations for any purpose whatever, and in debt, he is never con¬ 
tent until the score is discharged. We presume he owes no man a dollar. He 
never speculates. The rage for the sudden acquisition of wealth never took 
hold of him. His gains from his profession have been moderate, but sufficient 
for his purposes. While others have dreamed of gold, he has been in pursuit 
of knowledge. In all his dealings he has the reputation of being generous but 
exact, and, above all, religiously honest He would be a bold man who would 
say that Abraham Lincoln ever wronged any one out of a cent, or ever spent 





PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 


viii 


a dollar that he had not honestly earned. His struggles in early life have 
made him careful of money; but his generosity with his own is proverbial. 
He is a regular attendant upon religious worship, and though not a communi¬ 
cant, is a pew-holder and liberal supporter of the Presbyterian Church in 
Springfield, to which Mrs. Lincoln belongs. He is a scrupulous teller of the 
truth—too exact in his notions to suit the atmosphere of Washington, as it 
now is. * * At home, he lives like a gentleman of modest means and 

simple tastes. A good-sized house of wood, simply but tastefully furnished, 
surrounded by trees and flowers, is his own, and there he lives, at peace with 
himself, the idol of his family, and for his honesty, ability and patriotism, the 
admiration of his countrymen. 

On the 18th of May, 1860, the Republican National Conven¬ 
tion, which assembled at Chicago, nominated Mr. Lincoln for 
President of the United States, and that nomination was ratified 
by the people at the ensuing election in November. The electoral 
vote was subsequently proclaimed by Congress to be as follows: 


For Abraham Lincoln of Illinois,.180 

“ John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky,... 72 

“ John Bell of Tennessee,. 39 

“ Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois,. 12 


On hearing of his nomination while at the Journal office in 
Springfield, he received the news in silence, remarking before 
he left the room—“ Thqre is a little woman down at our house 
would like to hear this; I’ll go down and tell her.” No doubt 
he wished to commune with himself and advise with his safe 
counsellor as to the acceptance or rejection of his appointment 
to the highest gift of the nation. 

The load he had to bear was heavy—human strength was 
weak; but he chose to endure, and with his firm purposes to 
do right, constitutionally, before all the people, he left his hal¬ 
lowed home for the city of Washington, on the 11th of Feb¬ 
ruary, 1861, when he delivered a farewell address to his 
fellow-citizens in the following words: 

My Friends: No one not in my position can appreciate the sadness I feel 
at this parting. To this people I owe all that I am. Here I have lived more 
than a quarter of a century. Here my children were born, and here one of 
them lies buried. I know not how soon I shall see you again. A duty de¬ 
volves upon me which is perhaps greater than that which has devolved upon 
any other man since the days of Washington. He never would have sue- 








PRESIDENT LINCOLN. ix 


ceeded except for the aid of Divine Providence, upon which he at all times 
relied. I feel that I cannot succeed without the same Divine aid which sus¬ 
tained him, and in the same Almighty Being I place my reliance for support; 
and I hope you, my friends, will all pray that I receive that Divine assistance, 
without which I cannot succeed, but with which success is certain. Again, I 
bid you all an affectionate farewell. 

His course towards the White House was a continued ovation 
incidental of politics and the conflict that had yet but feebly been 
perceived, until he arrived at Harrisburg, the capital of Penn¬ 
sylvania, when it was found expedient to change his route to 
thwart the devilish designs of treason. The South desired his 
election that they might the more closely hug their belief in 
secession; but, at the same time, fanaticism essayed to prevent 
him reaching Washington. They could not live at peace, for 
they had begun to prepare for war. Power in high places had 
been wrested out of their hands, which they would not submit 
to. Their cherished institution was insecure; they madly would 
retain it—spread it widely—and even fight for it! The last 
resolve came first, which proved to be the beginning of the end. 

On the 4th of March, 1861, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated 
as the Sixteenth President of the United States, with imposing 
ceremonies. In front of the capitol he delivered his address, 
from which we give a short extract: 

The chief magistrate derives all his authority from the people, and they have 
conferred none upon him to fix the terms for the separation of States. The 
people themselves,’also, can do this if they choose, but the Executive, as such, 
can have nothing to do with it. His duty is to administer the present govern¬ 
ment as it came to his hands, and to transmit it, unimpaired by him, to his 
successor. Why should there not be a patient confidence in the ultimate 
justice of the people? Is there any better or equal hope in the world? In 
our present differences, is either party without faith of being in the right? If 
the Almighty Ruler of nations, with his eternal truth and justice, be on your 
side of the North, or on yours of the South, that truth and that justice will 
surely prevail by the judgment of this great tribunal, the American people. 

The eyes of the whole civilized world were bent on Abraham 
Lincoln, the man of the people. Some were beaming with de¬ 
light, that now they had found one honest man in power—one 
who would try to do right for right’s sake, despite jeer or taunt. 
Some were lighted up with scorn and contempt, as their system 


\ 





X 


PKESIDENT LINCOLN. 


of oppression was in fancied danger, for they hated the people. 
Some were gleaming with avarice at the thought that now the 
nation’s extremity was their opportunity. 

They all had their reward. 

One, the infamy and disgrace of fine and imprisonment; one, 
the inward satisfaction at the triumph of justice; and the other, 
in exile, despair and death. 

The speeches and State papers of President Lincoln so exhibit 
a plainness and a faculty of “ putting things,” that they became 
subjects of criticism and arrested the attention of even the 
literary circles of refined Europe. Rev. J. P. Gulliver, in a 
communication to the N. Y. Independent , relates the substance 
of an interview he had with the Chief Magistrate bearing upon 
and illustrating this mental phenomenon, which we insert: 

“I want very much to know, Mr. Lincoln, how you got this unusual power 
of ‘putting things.’ It must have been a matter of education. No man has 
it by nature alone. What has your education been?” 

“Well, as to education, the newspapers are correct—I never went to school 
more than twelve months in my life. But, as you say, this must be a product 
of culture in some form. I have been putting the question you ask me to my¬ 
self while you have been talking. I can say this, that among my earliest 
recollections I remember how, when a mere child, I used to get irritated when 
anybody talked to me in a way I could not understand. I don’t think I ever 
got angry at anything else in my life. But that always disturbed my temper, 
and has ever since. I can remember going to my little bedroom, after hearing 
the neighbors talk, of an evening, with my father, and spending no small part 
of the night, walking up and down, and trying to make out what was the exact 
meaning of some of their, to me, dark sayings. I could not sleep, though I 
often tried to, when I got on such a hunt after an idea, until I had caught it; 
and when I thought I had got it, I was not satisfied until I had repeated it 
over and over, until I had put it in language plain enough, as I thought, for 
any boy I knew to comprehend. This was a kind of passion with me, and it 
has since stuck by me, for I am never easy now, when I am handling a thought, 
till I have bounded it north and bounded it south, and bounded it east and 
bounded it west. Perhaps that accounts for the characteristic you observe in 
my speeches, though I never put the two things together before.” 

“ Mr. Lincoln, I thank you for this. It is the most splendid educational 
fact I ever happened upon. This is genius, with all its impulsive, inspiring, 
dominating power over the mind of its possessor, developed by education into 
talent, with its uniformity, its permanence, and its disciplined strength, always 
ready, always available, never capricious—the highest possession of the human 
intellect. But let me ask, did you not have a law education ? How did you 
prepare for your profession ?” 











PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 


xi 


“Oh, yes. I ‘read law,’ as the phrase is; that is, I became a lawyer’s 
clerk in Springfield, and copied tedious documents, and picked up what I could 
of law in the intervals of other work. Rut your question reminds me of a bit 
of education I had, which I am bound in honesty to mention. In the course 
of my law-reading I constantly came upon the word demonstrate. I thought, 
at first, that I understood its meaning, but soon became satisfied that I did not. 

I said to myself, ‘ what do I do when I demonstrate more than when I reason or 
prove ? How does demonstration differ from any other proof ?’ I consulted 
Webster’s Dictionary. That told of ‘certain proof,’ ‘proof beyond the possi¬ 
bility of doubt;’ but I could form no idea what sort of proof that was. I thought 
a great many things were proved beyond a possibility of doubt, without re¬ 
course to any such extraordinary process of reasoning as I understood ‘ de¬ 
monstration’ to be. I consulted all the dictionaries and books of reference I 
could find, but with no better results. You might as well have defined blue to 
a blind man. At last I said, ‘ Lincoln, you can never make a lawyer if you do 
not understand what demonstrate means,’ and I left my situation in Springfield, | 
went home to my father’s house, and stayed there till I could give any propo¬ 
sitions in the six books of Euclid at sight. I then found out what ‘demonstrate’ 
means, and went back to my law studies.” 

“ I could not refrain from saying, in my admiration of such a development 
of character and genius combined, ‘ Mr. Lincoln, your success is no longer a 
marvel. It is the legitimate result of adequate causes. You deserve it all, 
and a great deal more. If you will permit me, I would like to use this fact 
publicly. It will be most valuable in inciting our young men to that patient 
classical and mathematical culture which most minds absolutely require. No 
man can talk well unless he is able, first of all, to define to himself what he is 
talking about. Euclid, well studied, would free the world of half its calamities, 
by banishing half the nonsense which now deludes and curses it. I have often 
thought that Euclid would be one of the best books to put on the catalogue of 
the Tract Society, if they could only get people to read it. It would be a 
means of grace.’ ” 

“ I think so,” said he, laughing; “ I vote for Euclid.” 

Fairly ensconced in the nation’s watch-tower, he now com¬ 
menced his vigilant guard—a task harder than it had been his 
lot to share while in the backwoods of the West—which was 
relieved by the smile of affection and the innocent prattle of his 
youngest child in the rare intervals of pressing duty. 

The boom of Sumter’s guns sounded the alarm of war, and 
heralded the fact that conciliation or negotiation was a failure. 
Manhood and principle were almost forgot by politicians in vain 
endeavors at peace-making; but Abraham Lincoln kept perse- 
veringly on in his line of duty—to uphold the starry banner 
and preserve the Union. The people supported him in all that 
he did, notwithstanding malice in the North and rebellion in 











xii PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 


the South. As a measure to weaken the enemy, he promulgated 
his first “ Emancipation Proclamation,” which proved to he 
fraught with happiness to the bondman, and made famous as 
a benefactor of mankind the name of Abraham Lincoln : 

For Abraham’s the man to work out this plan 
By one * bold proclamation, 

And clear the way for a far brighter day 
To shine on our civilization. 

Which was as follows : 

I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, and 
Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy thereof, do hereby proclaim and 
declare that hereafter, as heretofore, the war will be prosecuted for the object 
of practically restoring the constitutional relation between the United States 
and each of the States, and the people thereof, in which States that relation 
is or may be suspended or disturbed. 

That it is my purpose, upon the next meeting of Congress, to again recom¬ 
mend the adoption of a practical measure tendering pecuniary aid to the free 
acceptance or rejection of all Slave States so-called, the people whereof may 
not then be in rebellion against the United States, and which States may then 
have voluntarily adopted, or thereafter voluntarily adopt, immediate or gradual 
abolishment of slavery within their respective limits; and that the effort to 
colonize persons of African descent, with their consent, upon this continent or 
elsewhere, with the previously obtained consent of the governments existing 
there, will be continued. 

That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight 
hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State, or desig¬ 
nated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the 
United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive 
Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority 
thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do 
no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may 
make for their, actual freedom. 

That the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proclama¬ 
tion, designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof 
respectively shall then be in rebellion against the United States; and the fact 
that any State, or the people thereof, shall on that day be in good faith repre¬ 
sented in the Congress of the United States, by members chosen thereto at 
elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such State shall have 
participated, shall, in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed 
conclusive evidence that such State, and the people thereof, are not then in 
rebellion against the United States. 

* There were two proclamations in fact, hut one was the virtual instrument which placed 
the name of Lincoln high on the scroll of fame, and blessed his memory through coming 
time. 






PRESIDENT LINCOLN. xiii 


That attention is hereby called to an act of Congress entitled “ An Act to 
make an additional Article of War,” approved March 13th, 1862, and which 
act is in the words and figures following: 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of 
America in Congress assembled , That hereafter the following shall be promul¬ 
gated as an additional article of war for the government of the army of the 
United States, and shall be obeyed and observed as such: 

Article. —All officers or persons in the military or naval service of the 
United States are prohibited from employing any of the forces under their 
respective commands for the purpose of returning fugitives from service or 
labor who may have escaped from any persons to whom such service or labor 
is claimed to be due; and any officer who shall be found guilty by a court- 
martial of violating this article shall be dismissed from the service. 

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted , That this act shall take effect from and 
after its passage. 

Also, to the ninth and tenth sections of an act entitled “An Act to Suppress 
Insurrection, to punish Treason and Rebellion, to seize and Confiscate Prop¬ 
erty of Rebels, and for other Purposes,” approved July 16, 1862, and which 
sections are in the words and figures following: 

Sec. 9. And be it further enacted , That all slaves of persons who shall here¬ 
after be engaged in rebellion against the Government of the United States, or 
who shall in any way give aid or comfort thereto, escaping from such persons 
and taking refuge within the lines of the army; and all slaves captured from 
such persons, or deserted by them and coming under the control of the Govern¬ 
ment of the United States; and all slaves of such persons found on [or] being 
within any place occupied by rebel forces, and afterwards occupied by the 
forces of the United States, shall be deemed captives of war, and shall be for¬ 
ever free of their servitude, and not again held as slaves 

Sec. 10. And be it further enacted , That no slave escaping into any State, 
Territory, or the District of Columbia, from any other State, shall be delivered 
up, or in any way impeded or hindered of his liberty, except for crime, or some 
offence against the laws, unless the persons claiming said fugitive shall first 
make oath that the person to whom the labor or service of such fugitive is 
alleged to be due is his lawful owner, and has not borne arms against the 
United States in the present rebellion, nor in any way given aid and comfort 
thereto; and no person engaged in the military or naval service of the United 
States shall, under any pretence whatever, assume to decide on the validity of 
the claim of any person to the service or labor of any other person, or surrender 
up any such person to the claimant, on pain of being dismissed from the service. 

And I do hereby enjoin upon and order all persons engaged in the military 
and naval service of the United States to observe, obey, and enforce, within 
their respective spheres of service, the act and sections above recited. 

And the Executive will in due time recommend that all citizens of the 
United States who shall have remained loyal thereto throughout the rebellion, 
shall (upon the restoration of the constitutional relation between the United 





PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 


xiv 


States and their respective States and people, if that relation shall have been 
suspended or disturbed) be compensated for all losses by acts of the United 
States, including the loss of slaves. 

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the 
United States to be affixed. 

Done at the city of Washington, this twenty-second day of September, 
[l. s.] in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, 
and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-seventh. 

By the President: Abraham Lincoln. 

William H. Seward, Secretary of State. 

As indicated in the foregoing document, he issued his second 
official Emancipation notice on the 1st of January, 1863, relating 
the States and parts of States that were then in rebellion, and 
declaring the slaves therein to be forever free, which edict he 
concluded in the following words: 

And upon this, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the 
Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of 
mankind and the gracious favor of Almighty God. 

The people came to the conclusion that these proclamations 
were destined to bring slavery to a timely end where rebellion 
was raging; and to overcome the anomaly of that evil existing 
with freedom in other parts of the country,, a resolution was 
adopted in Congress to submit to the action of the several 
States an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, 
prohibiting the existence of slavery within the States and Terri¬ 
tories of the Union forever. Illinois, by her promptitude, placed 
herself in the van of this needful movement. 

Steadily did President Lincoln steer the ship of state, although 
his enemies were not few. His four years of servitude were 
about drawing to a close, when the Republican Convention met 
at Baltimore on the 7th of June, 1864, and renominated him for 
President. His aspiring opponent, Gen. George B. McClellan, 
was nominated by the Democratic party at their convention in 
Chicago; but their platform and candidate both showing signs 
of retrogression, they deservedly failed to win. 

On the 8th November, 1864, the entire vote polled stood thus: 


Abraham Lincoln, ..2,223,035 

Gen. McClellan,.....1,811,754 






PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 


XV 


The confidence of the people again strengthened the heart 
and purposes of President Lincoln in his administration of the 
Government. The platform of principles set forth by the nomi¬ 
nating Convention received his hearty approval, being, next to 
the Constitution, his guiding star of office. 

On the 14th of April, 1861, the flag on Fort Sumter was 
lowered to rebellion, and carried off by the brave few who had 
made a resolute but an unavailing defence. On the 14th April, 
1865, the same flag, so long hid away, was flung to the breeze 
by the assembled throng on Sumter’s battered walls: 

“ ’Tis the Star-spangled Banner, 0! long may it wave 
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” 

This was a day of rejoicing. Richmond had been taken. The 
mainstay of the rebels, Lee’s army, had been defeated, broken, 
and were now prisoners. Their last hope was gone, and joy 
was in the North at the near prospect of returning peace. 

Great preparations were making throughout the land for a 
celebration of triumph on the 17th April; but this feu dejoie 
Mr. Lincoln was not ordained to witness. During the day, he 
w T as invited to visit Ford’s Theatre in the evening, and it was 
also announced that Lieut. Gen. Grant would be present. About 
ten o’clock, while the play of “ Our American Cousin” was pro¬ 
gressing, a stranger, who proved to be J. W. Booth, an actor of 
some note, entered the box occupied by the Presidential party, 
and leveling a pistol close behind the head of Mr. Lincoln, 
fired, the ball lodging deep in the brain of the President. The 
assassin jumped upon the stage, shouting “Sic Semper Tyrannis!” 
the motto upon the escutcheon of the State of Virginia, and fled. 

Human help to save the President was vain. He lingered 
on unconsciously until twenty-two minutes past seven next morn¬ 
ing, when death relieved him of his suffering, and changed the 
gladness of the American people into a wail of sorrow. 

“ ’Tis the wink of an eye, ’tis the draught of a breath; 

From the blossom of health to the paleness of death, 

From the gilded saloon to the bier and the shroud— 

Oh why should the spirit of mortal be proud ?” 

“Treason,” in its expiring throes, “had done its worst;” and 
as the Cain-like hand which smote our chief fell palsied in 





xvi PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 


death, his life, other than as a warning, was declared to have 
been “useless.” 

The President’s remains—accompanied by those of a darling 
son, who had been earlier called—moved to their resting place 
by the same route he had partly taken when appointed to occupy 
the chair of State, and were everywhere met with the symbols 
of grief and respect; 

“ And now, the Martyr is moving in triumphal march mightier than when 
alive. The nation rises up at his coming. Cities and States are his pall¬ 
bearers, and cannon beat the hours with solemn procession.” 

On the 4th of May, in a little knoll in Oak Ridge Cemetery, 
near Springfield, not far from his former home in the flesh, 
Illinois received back her son .to her bosom. 

Hereafter his dearbought fame shall be 
The unfettered praises of the free. 




































































































































































































































































































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* 








\ 








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r. 






;> 












BY THE EDITOR 


In the following pages we can only give a few notices of that mighty host 
of brave men from Illinois whose blood hath watered the battle courses of the 
late Rebellion in our land/' and whose lives have been laid down as a holy 
sacrifice on the altar of their country. With respect to obtaining even this 
limited number, we have put forth our best efforts during two years’ time. 
Let those with enlarged resources do better. 

If, in the fulness of grief, relatives or friends have embellished the obituaries 
with seeming superfluity or endearment, we would not seek to rob them of 
such garniture; for it is fitting that the loved ones of their bosom should be 
fully decked out in the robes of moral heroism when “ sleeping the sleep that 
knows no waking.” What nobleness—what bravery—what pangs and suffer¬ 
ings endured for our sakes—none can truly tell. They have triumphed, and 
Providence smiles upon the victors. 

Never let it be uttered that the blood of our brave defenders has been 
shed in vain. When the foundations of our political system are laid far down 
in the depths of truth and justice, we can safely abide the springing up of the 
sweet flower of true liberty and equality, which is recognized as the twin 
plant of the God-given balm for the healing of the nations. 

Chicago, 1866. 














“ Being Dead , yet Speaketh /’ 


‘ k With us their names shall live 
Through long succeeding years, 
Embalmed with all our hearts can give, 
Our praises and our tears.” 


“ Rest on your battle-fields, ye brave, 
Let the pines murmur o’er your grave, 
Your dirge be in the moaning wave— 
We call you back no more! 

O, there w r as mourning when ye fell, 
In your own vales a deep-tone knell, 
An agony—a wild farewell, 

That haunts us evermore. 

Rest with your still and solemn fame! 
The hills keep record of your name, 
And never can a touch of shame 
Darken the buried brow.” 


“ Their memory is heard upon the mountain, 
Their memory sparkles in the fountain; 

The smallest rill, the mightiest river, 

Rolls, mingling with their fame forever.” 


V 

\ 


4 










CONTENTS. 

The names with asterisks (*) indicate portraits accompanying sketches. 


' Name. Rank. 

♦Lincoln, Abraham.President U. S 

9 

Adams, Robert A.Lieutenant.. 

Aplington, Zenas.Major. 

Apthorp, George Henry.Lieutenant. 


Atchison ( Alex. Carleton,.Lieutenant. 

Brothers, ( Nathan Dudley, Private. 

Austin, Abraham Harrison...Private. 

Bartleson, Frederick A.Colonel. 

Beals, Jedediah.Lieutenant. 

Blanchard, Jonathan D.Private. 

Bowen, Rodney S.Major. 

♦Bross, John A.Lieutenant Colonel 

♦Bryant, Julian E.Colonel. 

Buck, Henry A.Lieutenant. 

Buslmell, Douglas R.Major. 

♦Capron, Horace, jr.Lieutenant. 

♦Chandler, George W.Lieutenant Colonel 

Chandler, Ivnowlton H.Captain. 

♦Clark, Alpheus.Major. 

Clark, Daniel Newton.Lieutenant. 

♦Coatsworth, George.Surgeon. 

Conner, Charles H.Private. 

Crawford, E. A.Sergeant. 

♦Davis, Redeck Weed 3IcKee..Corporal. 

Denison, Charles Edward.Captain. 

Dickerson, Jonathan C.Captain. 

Eames, Charles A.Lieutenant. 

Edgar, John Boyd.Private. 

Farnsworth, Elon J.Brigadier Genera-I.... 

Fowler, Daniel II.Private. 

Fowler, Ferdinand F. “ . 

♦Gooding, Robert.Lieutenant. 

Greathouse, Lucien.Colonel. 

Hall, Henry Ware.Adjutant. 

Harmon, Oscar F.Colonel. 

Hegans, Nelson.Corporal. 

Hudson, Oscar M.Sergeant. 


Regiment, etc. 

Page. 


i-xvi 

, 93d Infantry. 

....120 

..7th Cavalry. 

.... 19 

. 14th U. S. C. Infantry... 

....198 

. 97th Infantry. 

.7th “ . 

| 264 

..104th “ . 

....104 

..100th “ . 

... 275 

. 61st “ . 

.... 53 

..100th “ . 


..100th “ . 

...238 

..29th U. S. C. Infantry.. 

....201 

..46th “ “ 

...241 

.51st Infantry. 


.13th “ . 


14th Cavalry. 

....191 

.88th Infantry. 

....146 

.19th “ . 

...167 

8th Cavalry. 

.... 33 

15th Infantry. 

...118 

.88th “ . 

...217 

,39th “ . 


36th “ . 


• 77th “ . 

.... 89 

18th U.S. Infantry. 

.... 17 

.112th Infantry. 

... 269 

32d “ .. 

...101 

36th « .. 

....206 


.41 

.105th Infantry. 

...262 

U U 

....261 

59th “ . 

...273 

.48th “ .. 

....177 

51st “ . 

....169 

.125th “ . 

...172 

,61st “ . 

...250 

.64th “ . 















































































































8 


CONTEXTS 


Name. 

Bank. 

Regiment, etc. 

Page. 

♦James, Edward Arthur. 

..Lieutenant.. 



Johnston, Robert A. 

..Lieutenant. 

.IthU.S.C.IL A. 

...209 

Kenney, Stephen C. 

..Private. 


...260 

Kidston, John. 

..Corporal. 

.124th “ . 

...189 

♦Kinzie, John Harris. 

..Master. 


... 36 

Lee, A. A. 

..Captain. 


...272 

♦Lester, Thomas T. 

..Captain. 

.51st “ . 

...251 

♦Loomis, Reuben. 

. Lieutenant Colonel. 


... 79 

Lynn, Edward Everett. 

..Asst. Surgeon. 


.. 283 

McClintock, Hiram. 

..Captain. 

.127th “ . 

...122 

McClintock, William. 

..Corporal. 

u u 

...124 

Meacham, Henry Goodrich. 

..Lieutenant. 

.88th “ .. 

... 55 

♦Medill, William II. 

..Major. 


... 57 

Miller, Silas. 

..Colonel. 


...158 

Mitchel, Noah. 

..Private. 


...259 

♦Mudd. John J. 

..Colonel. 

.2d “ . 

...211 

Mulligan, James A. 

.Colonel. 


..183 

Ormsby, Jesse Harrison. 

..Corporal. 

.42d “ . 

...138 

Price, Henry E. 

..Sergeant. 

.104th “ . 

...265 

Price, William Delano. 

.Lieutenant. 

.53d “ . 

... 22 

Ransom, Thos. E. G. 

.Brigadier General. 



Roberts, George W. 

.Colonel. 


...110 

Rutishauser, Karl A. 

• Captain. 

.58th “ . 

..248 

t Andrew F. 

•) 



Samson Family < Edwin S... 

. > Privates. 

.77th “ . 

..131 

(Hamilton.. 

) 



♦Scott, Joseph R. 

.Colonel. 

.19th “ . 

.. 29 

Shepley, Charles H. 

.Captain. 

.19th « . 

..139 

Smith, John G. 

■ Captain. 


..114 

Smith, Melancthon. 

Colonel. 


.. 46 

Spaulding, William L. 

Lieutenant. 

.112th “ . 

..270 

Stewart, Alexander. 

Lieutenant. 


.245 

♦Thompson, John A. 

Captain. 


.. 9 

Tucker, Lansing B. 

.Captain. 


.. 98 

Ward, Guy Carlton. 

.Captain. 

.12th “ . 

.. 93 

Weaver, Abram. 

.Private. 



Webb, Lysander R. 

.Lieutenant Colonel. 


..142 

Woodruff, Joseph.. 

.Captain. 

.39th “ . 

. 125 

Wood, Wellington. 

Lieutenant. 

.19th “ . 

..105 

Wright, Joseph C. 

.Lieutenant Colonel. 

.72d “ . 

.. 50 

Wyman, John B. 

.Colonel. 

.13th “ . 

..278 

York, John. 

.Lieutenant. 

.32d “ . 

. 175 















































































































































































































































































































































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